Seraphina POV
"Um, Lucy… Thank you for inviting me, but is it really fine for me to come along?"
"Of course, you like these kinds of adventures, right? An ancient treasure map leading to who knows where. It's the sort of thing that ignites your sense of adventure."
A weirdly self-conscious idiot asks Lucy while the two of them are walking ahead, with Lucy looking at the map and leading the way.
"I mean, that is true, but um… are you sure you actually want me to be here?"
"...? I invited you so of course I do. Well, I admit things have ended a bit awkwardly before, but I don't think I handled it very well either. So I thought I would make it up to you with this experience. It should be quite interesting."
"Oh. If that's what you think then I'm happy to be here, though I still kind of feel a hostile gaze on me for some reason… Well anyway, I am curious where this map leads to. Where did you find it again?"
The two of them easily immerse themselves in conversation, strolling deeper into the shadowed forest.
Isn't that good for you, you idiot…
"So? What's the story here?"
"..."
While I'm glaring at the back of that idiot, Arthur nudges me from the side and asks.
"Come on, I can tell that your frown is even worse than how you usually look at Bernard. Did he do something to upset you again?"
"It's none of your business."
The four of us are currently following the map Lucy found, its trail leading us into the restricted zone.
Lucy also knew a suspicious amount about this situation, far more than she should. From all the details connected to the artifact this leads to, as well as how it works and what sort of trial it forces on the ones who find it.
Honestly, I don't even know how she would get all that information without actually experiencing it firsthand, but she insisted that wasn't the case and she didn't risk herself. I really should have interrogated her on how she found all of that out, but I also have to acknowledge that she actually came to me first.
Which means that she kept her word about always consulting me first before doing anything dangerous. So if she trusted me enough to tell me about this, and her only request was that I don't dig into her source, then I should respect her wishes and trust her as well.
Although I am still very curious about all of this, I believe in Lucy… though maybe I'm a little too soft on her too…
Well, that map seems authentic and she has three… two strong mages and an idiot on her side right now, so we should be able to handle anything we come across.
"Ah, look, it's the flower field. So that's what this symbol meant. Now we just need to go east for a while longer."
Lucy announces as we arrive at the familiar, small clearing.
"Oh? Is this the famous spot in the restricted zone you and Sera come to often?"
His interest piqued, Arthur asks Lucy.
"Yes, well not so often lately… But my light magic classes still bring me regularly. See, these are all the flowers I used to practice on. I planted them out here and they seem to like it."
"Hm? Ah yes, it looks really great. Though why are they all in the outer circle?"
"Well, that's just how it is here… Oh, could you hold the map for me a little bit?"
Lucy shows off the progress of her hard work and then hands the map over to Arthur and Bernard, who curiously examine it again.
It has been a while since I've been here. After the tournament, we decided to put our special training on hold and it's been one thing after another since then.
But it seems like Lucy hasn't stopped in her other pursuits. The outer ring of the clearing has been completely filled up with all the flowers that were once kept in the infirmary and they are all blooming nicely.
Yet I can't help but feel a sense of discomfort upon seeing her showing Arthur and Bernard around here. This was a place only the two of us knew about and we were always the only two people here. It feels wrong having other people intrude upon it…
Well, I guess Miss Julia was the one who originally found it, so she also knows about it, but she's different…
"Hey, Hina." Lucy quietly calls out to me, which takes me out of my daze and she gestures to me to follow her.
I go after her, only now noticing that she left the two guys behind, who seem to be discussing something else. Lucy stops near the base of the statue and then points towards a small flower that is blooming and seems completely healthy.
"After trying really hard, I managed to fully revive this one and it seems like in their complete state they can stay alive for a long time before withering again. If only one leaf or a flowerhead is revived, they quickly go back to their dormant state, but if it's like this, they can stay alive for a few days. It's really pretty, right?"
"Indeed. Was it hard to revive it?"
"Hm. Well it almost took all my mana just to get this one to bloom, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Just by pouring light magic into them it's almost impossible to revive them, but the process is almost like a puzzle, by figuring out the correct way they can be revived with a manageable amount of mana."
"So this was also probably some sort of test set up by an old professor after all."
"Seems that way. Though the other flowers are much bigger than this one, figuring out their revival will be much harder. What do you think the rest of these magical flowers will look like?"
"Well, those older generations liked to show off, so probably quite beautiful."
"Hm. I wonder… Maybe this entire field will be filled with flowers by then? I hope I get to see them bloom."
Even though her words seem ordinary, the look on her face holds a trace of melancholy or bittersweetness.
If it's Lucy, I believe she will be able to do it, but for some reason I feel like her words carry more than simple self-doubt.
"Aren't we going to find the treasure?"
Just as I'm contemplating whether to ask her about this, an annoyingly loud voice suddenly interrupts the moment and shouts in our direction.
"We should probably get going. We need to hurry before night falls. I think we need to go this way next."
Then Lucy also stands up and walks over to the other two, taking another look at the map.
Leave it to that idiot to ruin the mood…
After continuing our walk in the restricted zone for a dozen or so more minutes, Lucy suddenly stops before a slightly larger-than-normal tree.
"I think this is the place. Um, Bernard, do you feel anything off about the ground nearby?"
"Hm… Ah, you're right! There seems to be something weird around here."
The idiot channels his earth magic for a moment, his eyes lighting up soon after and he points to an area on the ground.
"Great! Are you able to move the top-"
Bang!
"...!"
"...!"
Without letting Lucy finish, that idiot summons his infamous shield and using his technique, he slams into the ground, breaking the slab hidden under a small layer of dirt and sending small stones, dust and clumps of earth flying in all directions.
As soon as I feel mana gathering around Bernard, I quickly grab Lucy's arm and pull her aside just in time to avoid any of the flying debris.
Though it seems like Arthur had a similar idea as he uses his wind magic to change the trajectories of all the rubble so it avoids our locations.
"Whoa, there really is an underground chamber here!"
The idiot pokes his head out of the hole he created with an excited expression.
"You brainless fool! Would it kill you to think for even a second before you act!?"
"Why are you shouting? You're all fine, aren't you? I knew all of you would be fine, especially with Lucy's shield. Even I have a hard time getting through it, not even mentioning some small pebbles."
"..."
He looks at Lucy, who still has a bit of a dazed look on her face and finally even an idiot like him notices that something is off.
"Hm? Why isn't your shield up?"
…Just why does Lucy even bother with someone like this, I wonder.
After spending a little more time scolding Bernard, we head underground through the newly exposed stairs. Lucy illuminates our surroundings with her light spell as we descend deeper and we soon arrive at a small room that has a sword held in a pedestal in the middle.
Lucy told me before that once someone touches it they have to pass a trial and everyone nearby gets pulled into a dream world alongside the one who touched it.
At first I thought that in that case it would be easier to send in only one person, but Lucy's later explanation revealed that the others can actually help out with the trial so it's better to go together.
We didn't explain all the extra details that Lucy somehow knew about to Arthur and Bernard, we only told them about the map and invited them along. It's a bit hard for me to accept all of that, but those two would definitely be suspicious… Well, at least Arthur. So we should discuss what to do first.
"Everyone be careful, there might be some sort of trap or trial set up by-"
But just when I say that, a certain fool has a different idea.
"Oh! This sword looks pretty cool!"
"Wait-!"
Bernard touches the sword before any of us can react and suddenly a bright white light fills the room.
…
…
…
A gentle breeze blows across one of the training fields of the academy. Two figures are standing near each other with an ambiguous atmosphere between them.
"I love you! Please marry me!"
The man suddenly yells, taking the girl by surprise. But he presses on:
"Even though we haven't spent much time together yet, I feel a special connection with you! So it might sound a bit too sudden, but I do really love you!"
"...! Lord Bernard, I-"
The girl seems a little speechless, her golden hair slightly lifted by the breeze. Her dilated pupils make her eyes appear even larger, their faint glisten adding to her adorable charm.
"Do you seriously believe I'd consider trash like you for marriage? Ew, you seriously need to get your head checked."
"...Huh?"
However, that undeniably cute expression on Lucy's face suddenly sours and gets replaced by a disgusted look, as if she's looking at a bug or something. This abrupt change takes Bernard completely off guard and he stumbles backwards while clutching his chest.